1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an upper stopper device in order to prevent a slider, which is to be attached to an end of a fastener stringer, from escaping. Particularly, the present invention relates to an upper stopper device, which is suitable for a fastener stringer attached with a bottom end stop assembly.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional upper stopper device of this kind, as shown in FIG. 8, upper stoppers of a fastener chain, which is attached with a bottom end stop assembly, is molded of thermoplastic resin material. In these upper stoppers 30, which are for example disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 63-37844, both of top and bottom surfaces thereof are formed to be flat. Further, the upper stoppers 30 are formed integrally with projections 31, 31 capable of contacting and engaging with chamfered inclined planes 118 formed on an interior face of upper and lower wing plates 116, 116 at a shoulder opening side of a slider 107. When the slider 107 is slid in a closing direction thereof on a fastener chain 101, the projections 31, 31 of the upper stoppers 30 come to contact with the chamfered inclined planes 118 provided at the interior of the shoulder side end of the slider 107 so that they stop sliding of the slider 107.
Further, an upper stopper device of another type is for example disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 63-1855 as shown in FIG. 9. Its upper stopper 40 is formed of a wire having a varied cross section and has a pair of upper and lower leg portions 42, 42 opened in a fork shape about a base portion 40 thereof so that a hollow portion 43 is formed between the upper and lower leg portions 42, 42. Further, a V-shaped groove 44 is formed at an inner face of the base portion for accommodating a tape elevated edge, which is not shown. The upper stopper clips a tape and then caulked by a punch.
The upper stoppers 30 shown in FIG. 8 are made of thermoplastic resin material and the projections 31, 31 are provided in such a way that they protrude locally on the flat surfaces of the upper stoppers. As a result, the upper stoppers are unpleasant to the touch. Additionally, when an external force such as excessive bending, twisting or the like is applied to the fastener chain so that the fastener tape 108 is bent from a border between an upper end of the upper stopper 30 and the fastener tape 108, thread tend to be cut off at a portion of the fastener tape 108 contacting with the upper end of the upper stopper 30.
Further, the upper stopper shown in FIG. 9 is formed of a wire having a varied cross section. When the upper stoppers 40 are attached to a stringer tape, which is not shown, the right and left upper stoppers 40, 40, which are entirely pressed and caulked, are capable of being inserted in a slider body, which is not shown. In the case that right and left stringers are fixed with a lower stopper device, it is possible to stop the sliding of the slider by a sliding contact of tape-side side faces of the right and left upper stoppers with an inner face of the slider. In the case that the slide fastener is a separable product with a bottom stop assembly, on the other hand, the upper stoppers 30 mounted to upper end portions of right and left stringers, which are not shown and attached with a box and a box pin, which are not shown either, separately at lower ends thereof, are easy to be inserted in the slider. Therefore, the slider tends to escape from the stringers so that it is lost. Further, an infant tends to put the escaped slider into his or her mouth.
The present invention has been made taking the foregoing problems into consideration. An object of the present invention relates to an upper stopper device of a slide fastener. Particularly, the object is to provide an upper stopper device which is most suitable for a fastener chain of a separable product attached with a bottom end stop assembly, as well as a fastener chain of a closed product which is fixed with a lower stopper device, and to provide an upper stopper device for a slide fastener as a safe separable product and the like that does not damage a fastener tape even if the fastener chain is applied with various external forces and has an excellent stop function of a slider. Particularly, there is no risk that an infant puts the upper stopper device into his or her mouth because the slider never escapes from the fastener chain of the separable product.
In addition to the object, another object of the present invention is to provide an upper stopper device for a slide fastener of a separable product and the like, which can be produced by a process with a good productivity. The upper stopper device is capable of being easily attached to fastener tapes, has a very simple mechanism to stop a slider and is capable of being accurately positioned and quickly attached by an automation machine for attaching the upper stopper device so that the productivity can be enhanced.
In addition to the object, another object of the present invention is to provide an upper stopper device for a slide fastener which is a safe product capable of preventing a slider from escaping from a stringer accurately. Further, another object is to provide an upper stopper device for a slide fastener which can exert an efficient stop function of the upper stopper device.
According to the present invention, there is mainly provided an upper stopper device for a slide fastener attached to an upper end of at least one of fastener element rows so as to be contiguous thereto, of fastener stringers capable of being engaged with and separated from each other, wherein the upper stopper device is formed with a widened portion, which protrudes from a front surface of the upper stopper device and is capable of abutting against at least one of upper and lower wing plates of a slider at a shoulder opening thereof, at an end portion of the upper stopper device on a side away from the fastener element rows.
According to such feature of the present invention, a slider inserted through a fastener chain never escapes. Further, the upper stopper device does not damage a fastener tape even when the fastener chain is applied with external forces such as excessive bending, twisting or the like so that the fastener tape is bent at a border between the upper stopper device and the fastener tape. Particularly, the upper stopper is suitable for a fastener chain attached with a bottom end stop assembly and it is possible to obtain an upper stopper device with a high quality and an excellent functionality.
According to the present invention, it is preferable that the upper stopper device is made of metal with a cross section of substantially U shape. In this case, it is preferable that the upper stopper device is provided with a caulking portion extending in a range from the widened portion to an end portion thereof adjacent to the fastener element rows. When metal material is used for the upper stopper device, the upper stopper device, which is free from a slider escaping, can be easily attached to the fastener tape by caulking the caulking portion firmly.
Further, the upper stopper device of the present invention has a base portion and an upper piece and a lower piece protruding from the base portion in a fork shape. Preferably, at least one of the upper and lower pieces has a widened portion which opens in parallel to a surface of the upper stopper device. Alternatively, at least one of the upper and lower pieces may have a widened portion which gradually opens in a protruding direction of at least one of the upper and lower pieces. Further alternatively, at least one of the upper and lower pieces may have a widened portion which gradually opens toward an end portion thereof away from the fastener element row. It is possible to easily mold the widened portions of such shapes, with which it is possible to exert a stop function of the slider.
Particularly, it is desirable that the upper stopper device is attached to at least an upper end of the fastener element row provided with a box and a box pin at a lower end thereof. Alternatively, the upper stopper device may be further attached to the fastener element row provided with an insert pin at a lower end thereof. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to attach the upper stopper to a fastener chain with a bottom end stop assembly, and further it is possible to easily produce a product which prevents a slider from escaping, even though it is a conventional fastener chain with a bottom end stop assembly that was subject to an easy escaping of an upper stopper device.
Still further, it is desirable that the upper stopper 10 of the present invention is attached to an enlarged core portion provided along one side edge in a longitudinal direction of a fastener tape and a contact point P of the widened portion with each of the upper and lower wing plates of the slider is set to be toward the other side edge of the fastener tape with respect to a center line of a longitudinal direction of the core portion. With such a structure, it is possible to produce a fastener chain which provides an efficient stop function of a slider by the upper stopper device and provides the end portions with an inward property, and which is good in appearance.